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Eight Members of 2010 All-America Mascot Team Advance to Playoffs

November 23, 2010 at 3:31 PM EST

Baring fangs, swiping with paws, mascots from schools big and small
ready to battle

MCLEAN, Va., Nov 23, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

After more than seven million votes by fans, students and alumni alike,
and a knock-down, drag-out campaign that saw large, fuzzy characters
competing at peak performance - the top eight competitors on the Capital
One All-America Mascot Team (www.capitalonebowl.com)
advanced to the playoffs in their quest to be named the Capital One
Mascot of the Year, the winner of which will be named Jan. 1 at the
Capital One Bowl in Orlando.

Unlike the BCS, this year's playoff field was less a matter of school or
conference size, and more about university spirit, as the top three
vote-getters included Old Dominion University's "Big Blue," "Paydirt
Pete" from the Univ. of Texas-El Paso, and "Monte" from the Univ. of
Montana.

Rounding out the final eight playoff teams were Ohio State's "Brutus,"
"Puddles the Duck" from the Univ. of Oregon, defending champion
"Bearcat" of the Univ. of Cincinnati, "Joe Vandal" of the Univ. of
Idaho, and Western Kentucky's "Big Red," who's mouth is always agape.

"Although I did not make the playoffs myself, I have been immensely
proud of my fellow Capital One All-America Teammates," LSU's Mike the
Tiger said through a mascot interpreter. "The Mascot of the Year
competition brings out the best in all of us and allows the mascot world
to remind college sports fans that we indeed work just as hard - both on
the field and in the classroom - as the athletes we represent."

The final eight mascots competing for the Capital One Mascot of the Year
will now face off in weekly, head-to-head elimination matches until
voting for the final two mascots ends December 13. The winning mascot,
whose school will receive an additional $15,000 scholarship to help fund
its school's mascot program, will be pronounced Capital One National
Mascot of the Year on January 1, 2011 during the Capital One Bowl.

Since 2002, Capital One has helped shine the spotlight on these unsung
heroes of the college gridiron. Each participating school's mascot
receives $5,000 for its university mascot program, and the Capital One
National Mascot of the Year receives an additional $15,000 scholarship
to help fund its school's mascot program. The winner will be announced
at halftime of the Capital
One Bowl game, airing on ESPN at 1 pm EST from Orlando, Fla., on
Jan. 1, 2011.

The Capital One National Mascot of the Year is determined through fan
voting. Throughout the college football season fans visit capitalonebowl.comto vote for their favorite All-American Mascot. Voting consists of
12 weekly head-to-furry-head match ups between the All-Americans. The
mascots with the best win/loss records face off in online playoffs
starting November 22, and the winner will be pronounced Capital One
National Mascot of the Year on January 1, 2011 during the Capital One
Bowl.

"We're proud of all our All-Americans who have campaigned hard
throughout the regular season in a very tight race," said Pam Girardo of
Capital One. "Now that the playoffs have begun, we expect the battle to
become fierce and the claws to come out as the Capital One National
Mascot of the Year title is on the line."

Fans of school mascots that were not included in this year's Capital One
Mascot Challenge can log on to capitalonebowl.com
and, after voting on this year's match ups, can nominate their own
school's mascot for a chance to win $1,000 toward their Mascot Program
and an opportunity to compete in the 2011 Capital One Mascot Challenge.

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com)
is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital
One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $119.2 billion in
deposits and $196.9 billion in total assets outstanding as of September
30, 2010. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad
spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small
businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately
1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas,
Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. A Fortune
500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One, an NCAA corporate champion, began its affiliation with
college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida
Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN's Capital One Bowl Week.
In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime
Report, all 88 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men's and
Women's Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate
athletics programs.

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